Alcohol - A Cause Or Cure For Acne?
Alcohol is one thing that has been constantly linked with acne. While some say that alcohol can cause acne, others believe that it can be useful to treat acne. So, what is the real truth? Let us find out.

Can alcohol cause acne?
There are several acne triggers that could trigger an acne breakout. Alcohol could be one of them. Excessive consumption of alcohol has constantly been linked to the prevalence of acne. Alcohol can be responsible for an acne breakout to quite an extent.

Several researches and studies indicate that men and women who consume alcohol excessively have high levels of testosterone and estrogen in their body. It must be noted that it is these hormones that are responsible for triggering the sebaceous glands and causes them to secrete sebum. This excessive sebum in turn clogs skin pores and causes acne.

Excessive consumption of alcohol has also been linked to the prevalence of stress. People who consume more alcohol have been found to be sufferers of stress. Stress again creates hormonal imbalance within the body and triggers and acne breakout.

Thus, alcohol can be the cause of acne in some individuals. And even if it not responsible for your skin condition, excessive alcohol consumption is not good anyway. So, you might as well consume alcohol in moderation.

Can alcohol cure acne?
Alcohol has been considered as an effective cure to acne. It is used topically to treat acne prone skin. Alcohol finds usage as an acne treatment primarily because of its astringent properties. It wipes away the impurities from the skin and helps clean acne prone effectively. To add on, alcohol is antibacterial in nature. It destroys the acne causative organisms known as P acnes and aids in acne treatment.

So does this mean that when used topically alcohol can help treat acne? Well, not really! This is because alcohol may destroy the acne causing bacteria but it does not cater to other causes of acne. There are several other factors such as excessive sebum and clogged skin pores as well that result in acne. Unfortunately, alcohol does not cater to any of these causes. It is for this reason that alcohol only offers negligible results as far as acne treatment is concerned.

Further on use of alcohol for acne prone skin is not advised for other reasons as well. Alcohol can cause various side effects. It can cause extreme skin drying and may also result in excessive itching and inflammation. In some cases, rubbing of alcohol on acne affected skin has even resulted in peeling of skin.

So, alcohol by no means can be considered as a solution to acne prone skin.
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